out of the red out of debt. out of the running no longer being considered; eliminated from a contest. out of the woods past a critical phase; out of the unknown. out of thin air apparently out of nowhere; as if from nothing. out of this world wonderful; extraordinary. out of tune Go to in tune. out of tune (with someone or something ) 1. not in musical har- mony with someone or something. 2. not in (figurative) harmony or agreement with someone or some- thing. out of turn not at the proper time; not in the proper order. out on a limb in a dangerous posi- tion; taking a chance. (out) on patrol away from a cen- tral location, watching over a dis- tant area. out on the town celebrating at one or more places in a town. out to lunch 1. eating lunch out- side the office. 2. unalert; unin- formed. outcast ["aUt kAst] n. someone who has been rejected, aban- doned, or deserted. outcome ["aUt k@m] n. the final result; the effect of something. outcry ["aUt kraI] 1. n. a strong protest; an uproar. 2. n. a loud cry. outdoor [aUt "dor] adj. not inside; not in a building; used or done outdoors. outdoors ["aUt "dorz] adv. in or into the open air; not inside a building. outer ["aU t#] 1. adj. farther away from the center. 2. adj. exterior; on the outside. outer space ["aU t# "spes] n. the universe beyond the atmosphere of earth. (No plural.) outgrew [aUt "gru] past tense of outgrow. outgrow [aUt "gro] 1. tv., irreg. to no longer fit into one’s clothes because one has grown. (Past tense: outgrew; past participle: outgrown.) 2. tv., irreg. to become too mature to do certain things meant for younger children. (Fig- urative on Q.) 3. tv., irreg. to grow to be taller or to grow faster than someone else. outgrown [aUt "gron] Past partici- ple of outgrow. outlaw ["aUt lO] 1. tv. to make something illegal; to declare that something is against the law. 2. n. a criminal. outlay ["aUt le] n. money spent for a certain reason; time or energy spent for a certain reason. outlet ["aUt lEt] 1. n. the socket in a wall where something can be plugged in for electrical power. 2. n. a way out for something. 3. n. a way to let one’s feelings out; a way to use one’s creativity. (Figu- rative on W.) outline ["aUt laIn] 1. n. the shape of someone or something; the bor- der of someone or something. 2. n. a list of the main topics of a speech or text; a plan. 3. tv. to out of the red 406 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 406 TLFeBOOK draw the shape of someone or something; to draw the border of someone or something. 4. tv. to list the main topics of a speech or text. 5. tv. to describe a plan. outlive [aUt "lIv] tv. to live longer than someone else; to work, func- tion, or last longer than something else. outlook ["aUt lUk] 1. n. an imag- ined view of the future course that something may take. (No plural.) 2. n. a way of looking at things that happen. output ["aUt pUt] 1. n. the amount of something that is made; pro- duction. (No plural.) 2. n. some- thing that is produced. (No plural.) 3. n. the energy that is produced by a machine. (No plu- ral.) 4. n. information that is pro- duced by a computer. (No plural.) outrage ["aUt redZ] 1. n. a very cruel or horrible deed. 2. n. anger caused by a very cruel or horrible action. (No plural.) 3. tv. to anger someone greatly by doing a very cruel or horrible deed. outright ["aUt raIt] 1. adj. com- plete; direct; openly and without delay. 2. adj. [of money given] without limitations. 3. adv. with- out limitations. → killed outright outside ["aUt "saId] 1. n. the part of something that faces away from the center of something; the sur- face of something that is out. (Also plural with the same mean- ing, but not countable.) 2. adj. on Q; external; not inside a building. 3. adj. farther from the center than something else. 4. adj. not associated with the inner group. (Prenominal only.) 5. adv. to or toward Q; on or at Q; in or into the outdoors. 6. prep. past the limit of something; beyond some- thing; on or toward the exterior of something. → at the outside → fall outside something → step outside outward ["aUt w#d] 1. adv. away; away from someplace; toward the outside. 2. adj. of or about one’s appearance instead of one’s feel- ings or thoughts. (Adv: outwardly.) outweigh [aUt "we] 1. tv. to weigh more than someone or something else. 2. tv. to be more important than someone or something else. (Figurative on Q.) outwit [aUt "wIt] tv. to be more clever than someone and therefore win at something. oval ["o v@l] 1. adj. shaped like an egg; almost shaped like a circle, but flatter. (Adv: ovally.) 2. n. a shape like that of an egg; the shape of a flattened circle. oven ["^v @n] 1. n. an appliance or enclosed space within an appli- ance that can be heated to cook food. 2. n. an appliance that is heated to dry and harden pottery or other objects. over ["o v#] 1. prep. above someone or something; higher than some- one or something. 2. prep. on someone or something; covering someone or something. 3. prep. across something; from one side of something to the other; above and to the other side of something. 4. prep. off and down from some- over 407 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 407 TLFeBOOK thing. 5. prep. during something; throughout some period of time. 6. prep. more than a certain meas- urement; greater than something. (Some people prefer more than to over in this sense.) 7. prep. with something noisy in the back- ground. 8. prep. from [the radio, the Internet, or a telephone]. 9. prep. covering the surface of someone or something. 10. adv. at some other place; on the other side of something. 11. adv. down; so that a surface faces down. 12. adv. again. 13. prefix too; too much. (Usually in a compound.) 14. adj. done; finished; at the end. (Not prenominal.) over again Go to (all) over again. over someone’s head too difficult or clever for someone to under- stand. over the hill old; too old to do something. over the hump past the difficult part. over the long haul for a relatively long period of time. over the short haul for the imme- diate future. over the top to or at a point where one has achieved more than one’s goal. over there Go to (way) over there. overate [o v# "et] past tense of overeat. overboard ["ov # bord] adv. [falling, dropping, or being thrown] from a boat or ship into the water. → go overboard overcame [o v# "kem] past tense of overcome. overcharge [o v# "tSardZ] tv. to charge someone more money for something than it really costs. overcoat ["o v# kot] n. a heavy coat that is worn over other clothes. overcome [o v# "k^m] 1. tv., irreg. to defeat someone or something; to fight and win against someone or something. (Past tense: over- came; past participle: overcome.) 2. tv., irreg. to cause someone to become helpless, especially because of emotion. overdose ["o v# dos] 1. n. a large dose of a drug that causes some- one to faint or die. 2. iv. to become unconscious or die because one has taken too many drugs or too much medicine. overeat [o v# "it] iv., irreg. to eat too much. (Past tense: overate; past participle: overeaten.) overeaten [o v# "it n] past partici- ple of overeat. overhead 1. ["o v# hEd] n. the costs of running a business; busi- ness expenses. (No plural. Treated as singular.) 2. ["o v# hEd] the adj. use of Q. 3. ["o v# hEd] adj. above one’s head. (Prenominal only.) 4. ["o v# "hEd] adv. above one’s head; in the air; passing through the air. overheat [o v# "hit] 1. iv. to become too hot; to break or stop working because of being worked too hard. 2. tv. to cause something to become too hot. over again 408 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 408 TLFeBOOK overkill ["o v# kIl] n. the condition of having or doing more than is necessary. (No plural.) overlap 1. [o v# "lAp] iv. [for parts of two or more things] to happen at the same time. 2. [o v# "lAp] iv. [for parts of two or more things] to cover the same space. 3. [o v# "lAp ] tv. [for something] to par- tially cover something [else]. 4. [o v# "lAp] tv. [for something] to begin before something else fin- ishes; to place the beginning of something over the end of some- thing else. 5. ["o v# lAp] n. the extra part of something that extends over something else. (No plural.) 6. ["o v# lAp] n. the amount by which something extends over something else. (No plural.) overlook 1. ["o v# lUk] n. a high place that provides a good view of a lower place. 2. [o v# "lUk] tv. to forget or neglect something. 3. [o v# "lUk ] tv. to ignore something. overnight 1. ["o v# naIt] adj. done during the night; lasting through the night. 2. [o v# "naIt] adv. through the night; during the night. 3. [o v# "naIt] adv. in just one night. oversaw [o v# "sO] past tense of oversee. overseas [o v# "siz] 1. adv. across the sea; on the other side of the ocean. 2. adj. done, used, or about a place on the other side of the ocean. oversee [o v# "si] tv., irreg. to supervise someone or something; to watch over someone or some- thing so that something is done properly. (Past tense: oversaw; past participle: overseen.) overseen [o v# "sin] past participle of oversee. oversight ["o v# saIt] n. something that is not noticed or thought of. oversleep [o v# "slip] iv., irreg. to sleep longer than one wanted to; to sleep too long. (Past tense and past participle: overslept.) overslept [o v# "slEpt] past tense and past participle of oversleep. overthrew [o v# "Tru] past tense of overthrow. overthrow [o v# "Tro] tv., irreg. to remove someone or something from power; to seize power from a government. (Past tense: over- threw; past participle: over- thrown. ) overthrown [o v# "Tron] Past par- ticiple of overthrow. overtime ["o v# taIm] 1. n. time at work past the time when one nor- mally finishes. (No plural.) 2. n. money earned by working past the time when one normally finishes. (No plural.) 3. n. [in a sporting event] an extra amount of playing time allowed in order to break a tie score. (No plural.) 4. adv. past the hours when one normally fin- ishes. 5. adj. of or about working extra as in Q. overture ["o v# tS#] 1. n. the piece of music at the beginning of an opera, symphony, ballet, etc., that introduces key melodies and themes. 2. n. the communication of an intention to make an offer of something. → make overtures overture 409 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 409 TLFeBOOK owe ["o] 1. tv. to be in debt for a sum of money; to have to pay someone for something. 2. tv. to be obliged to give someone some- thing. owing to something because of something; due to the fact of something. owl ["aUl] n. a bird that has large eyes that face the front and a short, curved beak, and is active at night. → (as) wise as an owl → night owl own ["on] 1. tv. to possess some- thing; to have something as a belonging. 2. adj. belonging to oneself or itself. 3. adj. a form indicating something already mentioned as belonging to oneself or itself. → afraid of one’s own shadow → blow one’s own horn → come into one’s own → come into its own → cut one’s (own) throat → dig one’s own grave → a dose of one’s own medicine → feather one’s (own) nest → find one’s own level → foul one’s own nest → hold one’s own → in a world of one’s own → in someone’s (own) (best) interests → mind one’s own business → not know one’s own strength → paddle one’s own canoe → sign one’s own death warrant → stand on one’s own two feet → stew in one’s own juice → take the law into one’s own hands → tell its own story → tell its own tale → toot one’s own horn → under one’s own steam own up to someone to confess or admit something to someone. own up to something to admit something; to confess to some- thing. owner ["o n#] n. someone who owns something. ownership ["o n# SIp] n. the state of being an owner; the right one has to own something. (No plu- ral.) ox ["aks] n., irreg. an adult male of a kind of cattle. (An ox has been made unable to breed. Plural: oxen.) → (as) strong as an ox oxen ["ak s@n] plural of ox. oxygen ["aks I dZ@n] n. a gas that makes up about 20 percent of the air we breathe. (No plural.) oyster ["oIs t#] 1. n. a small sea creature that lives between two hinged shells and sometimes pro- duces pearls. 2. n. Q used as food. ozone ["o zon] n. a kind of oxygen produced when an electrical spark, such as lightning, passes through the air. (No plural.) owe 410 06 7/23/03 8:49 AM Page 410 TLFeBOOK pace ["pes] 1. n. the speed at which someone or something moves. (No plural.) 2. n. a distance of one step when running or walking. 3. iv. to walk back and forth slowly and regularly. → at a snail’s pace → a change of pace → put one through one’s paces → put something through its paces pace something out 1. to deal with a problem by pacing around. 2. to measure a distance by counting the number of strides taken while walking. pack ["pAk] 1. n. a group of things that have been placed together— in a case, for example—so they can be carried. 2. n. a group of animals that live, hunt, and travel together. 3. tv. to fill a container completely. 4. tv. to gather, assem- ble, and arrange things and place them in a space or container. → send someone packing a pack of lies a series of lies. pack something up (in something ) to prepare something to be trans- ported by placing it into a con- tainer. pack up to prepare one’s belongings to be transported by placing them into a container; to gather one’s things together for one’s depar- ture. package ["pAk IdZ] 1. n. a group of things that are wrapped together or boxed; a container in which goods are sold or shipped. 2. n. a parcel, especially one that is wrapped in paper or something similar. 3. tv. to place something in a container, especially to make it available for sale. packed (in) like sardines packed very tightly. pact ["pAkt] n. an agreement; a treaty. pad ["pAd] 1. n. a small cushion or mass of soft material used to pro- tect something, make something comfortable, absorb fluid, or give something a certain shape. 2. n. a tablet of paper; a stack of pieces of paper that are glued together along one edge. 3. iv. to walk softly and very quietly. 4. tv. to make a movie, book, program, etc., longer by adding extra words, longer pauses, extra performance mate- rial, etc. → launching pad pad the bill to put unnecessary items on a bill to make the total cost higher. paddle ["pAd l] 1. n. a kind of oar used to steer and move a canoe or other small boat. 2. n. a round or long flat object used to spank someone. 3. tv. to move a canoe with Q. 4. tv. to spank someone with W or with the hand. 5. iv. to propel [something] with Q. paddle one’s own canoe to do something by oneself; to be alone. pagan ["pe g@n] 1. n. someone whose religion is not Christianity, Islam, or Judaism; someone who has no religion. 2. adj. of, by, for, or about Q. page ["pedZ] 1. n. one sheet of paper in a book. 2. n. one side of one sheet of paper in a book. 3. n. 411 P 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 411 Copyright 2003 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc . Click Here for Terms of Use. TLFeBOOK a sheet of paper suitable for writ- ing or printing or having writing or printing. 4. n. a signal that someone has a waiting message or telephone call, especially a beep from a pager. 5. tv. to alert some- one that a message or telephone call is waiting. pager ["pe dZ#] n. an electronic device that makes a signal to alert someone to a waiting message or telephone call. paid ["ped] 1. past tense and past participle of pay. 2. adj. hired; employed; receiving money. pail ["pel] 1. n. a bucket; a con- tainer without a lid and with a curved handle that connects to opposite sides of the rim. 2. n. the contents of Q. pain ["pen] n. hurt or ache caused by injury, sickness, or mental dis- tress. (Plural only for types and instances.) → be racked with pain → labor pains → share someone’s pain painkiller ["pen kIl #] n. a type of a medicine or drug that ends or relieves pain. paint ["pent] 1. n. a colored liquid that is spread on a surface to give the surface color and protection and that gets hard when it dries. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. tv. to cover some- thing with Q, using a brush or something similar. 3. tv. to make a picture of someone or something using Q. 4. iv. to cover walls or other objects with Q. 5. iv. to make pictures with Q. paint over something to cover something up with a layer of paint. paint something out to cover some- thing up or obliterate something by applying a layer of paint. paint the town red to have a wild celebration during a night on the town. paintbrush ["pent "br^S] n. a brush used to apply paint to a surface. painting ["pen tIN] 1. n. the art and study of making pictures with paint. (No plural.) 2. n. a picture that is made with paint. pair ["pEr] 1. n. a set of two similar or matching things; two people or two things. 2. n. [in card games] two cards with the same number or value. 3. tv. to sort or order people or things into sets of two. pair up (with someone ) to join with someone to make a pair. pajama adj. of, by, for, or about pajamas. pajamas [p@ "dZa m@z] n. clothes worn in bed or worn at night before one goes to bed. (Treated as plural. Number is expressed by pair(s) of pajamas.) pal ["pAl] n. a friend; a chum. (Informal.) pal around (with someone ) to associate with someone as a good friend. palace ["pAl Is] n. a very large, lux- urious house, especially one where a king, queen, or important politi- cal leader lives or once lived. pale ["pel] 1. adj. having a lighter color than usual; faded. (Adv: pager 412 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 412 TLFeBOOK palely. Comp: paler; sup: palest.) 2. iv. to become lighter in color; to whiten or weaken in color; to fade. 3. iv. [for someone] to become Q and appear faint. 4. iv. [for some- thing] to appear to be weak or inadequate. → beyond the pale palm ["pam] 1. n. the front of the hand between the wrist and the bottom of the fingers. 2. n. a tree with a long trunk and long, pointed leaves at the top, attached to a hard stem. (Short for palm tree. ) 3. tv. to hide something in one’s Q. → have an itching palm → have an itchy palm → know someone or something like the palm of one’s hand palm something off (on someone ) to try to get something accepted as good. palm tree ["pam tri] n. a tree with a long trunk that has no branches and long, pointed leaves attached to a hard stem. (Can be shortened to palm.) pan ["pAn] 1. n. a wide, shallow vessel used for cooking. 2. tv. to give a bad review about a movie, book, or play; to criticize some- thing harshly. 3. iv. [for a camera] to move while filming, traveling over a scene as one’s eyes might move. → a flash in the pan → out of the frying pan into the fire pancake ["pAn kek] n. a thin, round cake made of flour, eggs, and milk that is cooked on both sides. → (as) flat as a pancake pane ["pen] n. a section of glass in a window or door. panel ["pAn @l] 1. n. a thin, flat square or rectangular section of hard material. 2. n. a group of people who are selected to talk about something or judge some- one or something. 3. tv. to cover the walls of a room with Q. panic ["pAn Ik] 1. n. a fear that is out of control; a sense of terror. (No plural.) 2. iv., irreg. to feel Q; to experience fear that is frantic and out of control. (Past tense and past participle: panicked. Present participle: panicking.) 3. tv., irreg. to cause someone or some creature to experience Q. panicked ["pAn Ikt] past tense and past participle of panic. pant ["pAnt] 1. iv. to make quick, shallow breaths, as an overheated dog does. 2. n. a gasp; a quick, shallow breath. panties n. a pair of women’s under- pants. (Treated as plural. Number is expressed with pair(s) of panties. Also countable.) pantry ["pAn tri] n. a small room near a kitchen, where pots, pans, dishes, silverware, tablecloths, food, and other kitchen items are kept. pants n. trousers; clothing worn below the waist, having a separate tube, hole, or compartment for each leg. (Treated as plural. Num- ber is expressed with pair(s) of pants. Also countable.) → by the seat of one’s pants pantyhose ["pAn ti hoz] n. a gar- ment that is made of sheer stock- pantyhose 413 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 413 TLFeBOOK ings extending from a pair of panties. (No plural. Treated as plu- ral, but not countable. Number is expressed with pair(s) of panty- hose.) paper ["pe p#] 1. n. processed fiber and other substances, pressed into sheets, used for writing, printing, drawing on, and other things. (No plural. Number is usually expressed with piece(s) or sheet(s) of paper.) 2. n. wallpaper; deco- rated paper that is glued to walls. (No plural.) 3. n. a newspaper. 4. n. an article; an essay. 5. adj. made from Q. 6. tv. to cover something with wallpaper. → get something down (on paper) → look good on paper → put something on paper → toilet paper paper clip ["pep # "klIp] n. a device made of bent wire that can hold a few sheets of paper together. papers 1. n. documents; sheets of paper Q in groups or stacks, bear- ing information. (Treated as plu- ral, but not countable.) 2. n. documents that prove who one is; one’s passport or visa, carried while visiting a foreign country. (Treated as plural, but not counta- ble.) paperweight ["pe p# wet] n. a heavy object placed on a stack of papers to keep them from blowing away. par ["par] n. [in golf] the normal number of strokes that it takes to get the golf ball from the tee into the hole. (No plural form. A num- ber may follow par.) → above par → below par → up to par parachute ["pEr @ Sut] 1. n. a large bowl-shaped piece of fabric attached to and supporting some- one who jumps from an airplane or some other very high place. 2. iv. to drift downward, wearing a parachute. parade [p@ "red] 1. n. a public event where people march or ride down a street with people watch- ing from both sides. 2. iv. to march somewhere in Q. 3. tv. to make someone march in front of people. parade someone or something out to bring or march someone or some creature out in public. paradise ["pEr @ daIs] 1. n. heaven. (No plural.) 2. n. somewhere on earth that seems as lovely and wonderful as Q. (No plural.) → a fool’s paradise a paradise on earth a place on earth that is as lovely as paradise. paragraph ["pEr @ grAf] n. a sen- tence or group of sentences usu- ally related some way in meaning. parallel ["pEr @ lEl] 1. adj. [lines or plane surfaces] at the same dis- tance apart or at an equal distance apart everywhere. 2. adj. similar; like [a situation]; analogous. 3. tv. to go or be on a route or in a direc- tion that is beside something else as in Q. (E.g., a road that parallels the railroad tracks.) paraphrase ["pEr @ frez] 1. n. something that someone has said or has written in a different way. 2. tv. to restate something as in Q. paper 414 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 414 TLFeBOOK parasite ["pEr @ saIt] 1. n. a plant or animal completely dependent on another species of plant or ani- mal for food or support. ( Parasites on humans and animals cause dis- eases or health disorders.) 2. n. someone who depends on other people for food and shelter; a use- less person who is supported by other people. (Figurative on Q.) parcel ["par s@l] 1. n. a package, especially one that is mailed or delivered; something that is wrapped up. 2. n. an amount of land that is sold as a unit. → part and parcel parcel post ["par s@l "post] 1. n. a class of mail in the postal system limited to small parcels. (No plu- ral.) 2. adv. by way of Q. pardon ["par dn] 1. n. forgiving someone. (Plural only for types and instances.) 2. n. an act that keeps someone from being pun- ished under the law. 3. tv. to for- give someone; to excuse someone. 4. tv. to release someone from jail; to order that someone not be exe- cuted; to keep someone from being punished. parent ["pEr @nt] 1. n. the father or the mother of a living creature. 2. n. a business that owns another business; the main office of one or more businesses or other organi- zations. 3. adj. serving as a W. parentheses [p@ "rEn T@ siz] plural of parenthesis. parenthesis [p@ "rEn T@ sIs] n., irreg. either of the pair of symbols “ (” and “)” used to enclose infor- mation of secondary importance in writing or printing. (Plural: parentheses.) park ["park] 1. n. a piece of land set aside by a city, state, county, or nation for use by the public, usu- ally having trees, grass, and other natural features. 2. tv. to stop a car or other vehicle and leave it in a certain place for a period of time. 3. iv. to leave a car or other vehicle in a certain place for a period of time. → in park parking lot ["par kIN lat] n. an area of paved land used to park cars on. parlor ["par l#] 1. n. a living room; a place in a home where guests can sit and talk. (Old-fashioned.) 2. n. a store that sells a certain product or service, such as hair care, ice cream, or funerals. parrot ["pEr @t] 1. n. a kind of trop- ical bird, often brightly colored, that can copy human speech. 2. tv. to repeat someone else’s words or ideas without thinking. (Figura- tive on Q. The object can be a clause with that U.) parsley ["pars li] n. an herb used in cooking to add flavor to food or as a decoration. (No plural. Number is expressed with sprig(s) of parsley.) part ["part] 1. n. one piece of the whole; one section of the entire amount. 2. n. one of a set of equal divisions. 3. n. an actor’s role in a play or movie. 4. n. the line between two sections of hair on the head, established when comb- ing it. 5. tv. to make a pathway or an opening through a group of people or things. 6. tv. to separate part 415 07 7/23/03 8:50 AM Page 415 TLFeBOOK . out of the red out of debt. out of the running no longer being considered; eliminated from a contest. out of the woods past a critical phase; out of the unknown. out of thin air apparently out of nowhere;. plural. Number is expressed with sprig(s) of parsley.) part [" ;part] 1. n. one piece of the whole; one section of the entire amount. 2. n. one of a set of equal divisions. 3. n. an actor’s. 1. n. the piece of music at the beginning of an opera, symphony, ballet, etc., that introduces key melodies and themes. 2. n. the communication of an intention to make an offer of something. →